Choosy Moms Choose Jiff

My greatest fear in life is that I will be a failure as a mother. Now, do I really believe that I will fail in all aspects of motherhood? No. Do I believe I will make mistakes? Yes. As a result, like many other moms and future moms, I want to take extra precautions so I make the fewest number of mistakes possible. To calm the fears of worrying mothers, myself included, companies have come out with a variety of products and advertisements that promise success as a mother. This promise of success gives a mom hope that, not only will she be an outstanding and successful parent, but her child will also be outstanding and successful.

Take, for example, the Gerber Life "Grow-Up Plan". The web page makes promises like, "Give your child a powerful headstart!", "Security for today, Savings for tomorrow," and "Give your child an advantage for a lifetime." Each of these statements instills hope in a parent that participating in the "Grow-Up Plan" will provide protection for their child at a low price. It's a valuable investment in the child's future. And according to this commercial, it will actually help the child be successful once he's grown up.

In addition to the "Grow-Up Plan," Gerber also offers a "College Plan" for parents to invest in. Both of these opportunities can be extremely valuable to a child's future and parents are, no doubt, being responsible by thinking about their child's financial future. However, that doesn't change the fact that both of these plans appeal to the hope we have as parents (or future parents) for the success and well-being of our child.

Another company that uses hope to market to parents is Johnson's. Their trademark commercials place a heavy emphasis on the fact that smart moms who know what's best for their baby use (insert Johnson's product here). The Head-to-Toe wash commercial is especially moving as a wonderful mother bathes her adorable child.

While a child is still an infant, parents are especially worried about making mistakes. Babies are so impressionable and fragile. In this way, Johnson's plays both the hope card and the fear card to convince parents to buy their products. If you don't use Johnson's gentle formula to bathe your child, you may damage his/her delicate skin (fear). However, if you do use Johnson's to care for your baby, he/she will love you and appreciate you more, just like that baby in the commercial (hope).

A third appeal to our hope of being a successful parent is found in the tagline of everyone's favorite peanut butter: Jiff. Of course, everyone knows that "Choosy Moms Choose Jiff". This phrase encompasses the hope of a mother. A good mom makes good choices about her child's life. According to Jiff, Choosy Moms (the ones who make careful decisions) choose their brand of peanut butter. Therefore, if I buy Jiff peanut butter, I am both a Choosy Mom and one who makes good decisions. What more could a mother hope for?

Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to be a good parent. Children are a gift from God and He expects parents to love and cherish them. In addition, God calls parents to raise their children in the ways of the Lord. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6. Although the chances that we will never make mistakes as parents are very slim, with God's help and guidance (and perhaps a few parenting products) we have hope that we can provide our children with a bright and successful future.